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Cornell University

Office of Faculty Development and Diversity

Cornell FIRST

 

The Cornell FIRST program fosters sustainable institutional culture change, building on the Belonging at Cornell framework for developing a culture of Inclusive Excellence. Cornell FIRST uses a combination of institutional policies and initiatives that impact hiring, mentoring, promotion and tenure, salary equity, aimed at enhancing compositional diversity, retention, and the success of our faculty.

The Cornell FIRST program features interdisciplinary hiring of a cohort of 10 new assistant professors across seven colleges:

Cornell CANN Model

Cornell CANN Model

At Cornell, we are committed to supporting our faculty and allowing them to thrive professionally and personally. The Cornell FIRST approach to Faculty Development follows an ecological approach that aims to Cultivate and Challenge our new colleagues, Advocate and Embolden them, Nurture and support new faculty navigating their new environments, and help them establish social and professional Networks that will increase their sense of belonging at Cornell and in their field.  We have developed and are implementing programs that effectively support our faculty through their career stages, with attention to their identities and background.Cornell’s FIRST Cohort faculty will follow an ecological approach to faculty development that aims to Cultivate and Challenge, Advocate and Embolden, Nurture and support faculty navigating their new environments, and help them cultivate social and professional Networks  to increase their sense of belonging at Cornell and in their field.Cornell CANN is a new model of faculty development built on research-based mentoring, and our track record of successfully developing and implementing programs supporting our faculty, particularly those underrepresented or marginalized in their fields, throughout their career stages.Cornell CANN will assign mentors and sponsors for new faculty joining Cornell, design and offer programs supporting them throughout their career, and create tools to assess their progress.The core components of the CANN approach include programming, mentor and sponsor assignment, and the institutional policies and commitments that support this approach.

Faculty Development Plan

Faculty Development Plan

A Faculty Development Plan (FDP) outlines professional development opportunities and career objectives for the NIH FIRST new faculty and helps them create a plan to meet their goals. FDPs should be developed in consultation with mentors and the sponsor, who can direct new faculty to resources and opportunities. NIH FIRST can use the FDP to set:

  1. annual goals in the areas of research, teaching, service, and outreach if appropriate;
  2. annual goals within the context of department/ school, college, university and field-wide priorities;
  3. long-term professional goals; and
  4. personal life goals.